Redemption
by Kiara Jinzan
Summary: PostSIII. Harmonia has a new mission for its wayward Bishop. Will be Luc and Tir in future chapters.
1. Prologue

Floating. He was floating, a gentle wind lifting and carrying him through the warm, peaceful darkness that was everywhere. Though he was very familiar with the wind and its touch, this wind was unlike the one he'd grown so accustomed to previously; the winds he had known before were riotous and strong, a terrible force that caused far more pain than anyone would have known.

But this - this was such a soft wind, the healing side of the element he'd been buffeted by throughout his entire life. It warmed him, brought him the peace he'd been willing to go to such lengths for. This had been his goal. This was paradise.

"No...no, he is there."

The words cut through the darkness like a blade, silencing the lullaby of the wind, and jolting him into a sense of dread. He knew that voice, so like his own. No! No, not now! Not when he had finally found freedom! Chanting followed the words, the Harmonian language sounding harsh and painful after the songs of the air. He tried to find a handhold, something to hang onto to keep the words from dragging him down and out of the personal paradise he'd finally attained.

Bright light seared his vision as dazed emerald eyes fluttered open. Instinctively he raised his right arm to cover his face and shield him from the glare. His bare hand caught his sight before he squeezed his eyes shut. Two drops of moisture escaped the corners of his tightly close eyes, only to be absorbed into his sleeve.

"It's good to see you again, brother," said that annoying cheerful voice beside him. "We have a very special mission for you."

He groaned softly. Normally he would not have given his elder the pleasure of knowing that he'd struck deeply and found the mark, but in his weakened state he was unable to hold it back. Everything hurt - his head, his body, his heart and whatever soul he had left. The soul that was tied to the rune that was again embedded in his right hand. The rune that was his power and his eternal prison.

"It's time to wake up, Luc!" The blue-clad bishop said in a sing-song voice, pulling the wind mage's arm down from his face. "Don't worry. We brought you home."

Luc wanted to punch him, spit on him, or at least reply with something biting and caustic, but he was rather startled to find that he could not do anything. He opened his eyes again, still squinting against the light, and stared back at Sasarai. He could convey it though those intensely green orbs; his pure and utter loathing for the elder bishop and the entire country.

"You shouldn't give me that look, you know," Sasarai said, pouting back at Luc. "You have a very special mission. One that will maybe even get you back into Lord Hikusaak's good graces, if you to well enough."

Well, that was a surprise. Luc's eyes narrowed suspiciously, though there was a fair amount of curiosity in his expression as well. His elder twin laughed happily, clapping his hands together.

"I knew that would get your attention," he said gleefully. "This should be no problem for you, I'm sure. All you have to do is go to Toran - you're familiar with the place, correct? And then come back here."

That was too easy. There was more to it, and Luc knew it. He knew that Sasarai was holding back information, making him ask for it. Whoever said that the blue-clad bishop was pleasant and charming obviously didn't know the real one. As per the unspoken request, Luc slightly lifted one eyebrow in question.

"Oh, yes...you see, it's not as simple as merely going there and coming back. We wish for you to bring back something very important."

Once again he left off. Luc managed a heavy, annoyed sigh, and Sasarai laughed again.

"What we want you to bring back is very specific. We want you to bring us Souleater."


	2. Chapter 1

It felt so strange to be back in the country of Toran, the place where so many things had happened to him. Luc would never forget that day when his life had changed forever, when the envoy from the Scarlet Moon Empire had come to Magician's Isle for the astral conclusions. There were even recent times when Luc would awaken in the middle of the night, sweating and shaking with reaction to his dreams.

They were dreams haunted by a pair of deep brown eyes, eyes that showed so much but still kept so many things hidden away below the surface. The man Luc had come to admire so much, whom he still did admire more than anyone else he knew. How the son of Teo McDohl managed to stay so strong with all the hardships he'd suffered Luc didn't know. But he wanted to know. He wanted to learn what Tir's secret was.

Maybe it could save him. Unless now he was too far gone, unworthy of redemption. That was far more likely, the wind mage thought.

He blended in with the other travelers that moved through the streets of Gregminster, following the familiar path toward the palace. But when he reached the fountain in the center of the bustling city, he turned and headed east, passing through the residential areas of the highborn and wealthy.

Luc had come here several times over the years since the fall of the Scarlet Moon Empire, just loitering in the shadows near the McDohl manor, watching. Some nights the light in Tir's room never came on. Other nights, it never went out. He knew that the bearer of the Souleater rune had his own problems, and didn't want to burden him with anything more.

Today, however, he had come for another reason. It had been almost ten years since the last time Luc had seen Tir, and he hated to approach him under these circumstances. But he'd given it a lot of thought, and he knew what he needed to do. Approaching the door to the house, he squared his shoulders beneath his dark green travel cloak and knocked firmly.

It wasn't Tir who opened the door, however, but his servant and guardian Gremio. Luc looked up at the blonde man, a little startled to find him looking exactly as he remembered him. He hadn't aged at all since the battle for Gregminster, exactly as Tir hadn't. That was more than a little surprising. In eighteen years, one would think that someone who did not possess a True Rune would have aged.

"Hello. Can I help you-- oh, Young Master Luc!" Gremio sounded about as shocked as Luc felt, recognizing the wind mage when he pushed back the hood of his cloak. "I-I'm sorry, but the Young Master isn't home right now. Today is..." He hesitated, looking troubled. "Young Master is gone to Seek Valley today," he finally finished after a long pause.

"I see." That explained a lot. "Thank you, Gremio. I'm going to go find him."

"Good luck to you, Young Master Luc," Gremio said doubtfully, watching Luc turn and walk off down the street.

Just a short distance away, Luc ducked into an alley between two of the large houses and looked down at his right hand. "Seek Valley, huh?"

Few people would understand the significance of the small, uninhabited valley west of the Dragon's Den unless they had been there. If they had been present that day, then they would understand that Seek Valley was where Tir's best friend had been killed, consumed by the very rune he'd passed on to Tir. Luc had seen it, watched the scene unfold with his own eyes. He'd watched the young leader collapse, seen the pain in his dark eyes. And later that night, he'd overheard his inconsolable sobbing in a dark corner on the roof of the castle.

---

_The roof was Luc's favorite place in the whole castle. Very few people were there, particularly at this time of night, and the high elevation was perfect for someone so attune with the wind. But his place of solitude had been invaded, he could tell that before he even reached the top of the stairs._

_It didn't surprise him that it was Tir who had found his hiding place, and was using it for a similar purpose. The bearer of the Souleater was not trying to muffle his sobs, curled up in a tight ball in the darkest corner and shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. Looking at him, Luc became aware of something he had rarely encountered; he could feel his heart going out to the other boy, and wanted to help him._

"_McDohl?" Luc asked quietly, making his presence known before walking toward Tir. He knew just how good he was with that staff he carried._

_The dark-haired leader glanced up, and the pain Luc saw in his moonlit eyes made the younger boy's breath catch in his throat. "...Luc."_

_Luc had seen Tir cry before. It wasn't a common occurrence, but it had happened. In Soniere Prison, when Gremio had sacrificed himself to save them all, Tir had beat on the unyielding door until his thick leather gloves were shredded and his hands bloody. He had worn himself into complete and utter exhaustion and defeat, only to have to lead the attack on Scarletitia Castle just days later. After his father's death, Tir barely spoke to anyone._

_Both times, he had cried. But not like this. These were loud, heartbreaking sobs that wracked his entire body. Like he'd lost someone who was more than just a best friend._

_The wind mage wasn't sure what to do, caught in the web of suffering that dwelt in Tir's dark brown eyes. Almost dreamlike, he walked over to the older boy and knelt beside him. He didn't know what to do, what to say, but he wanted to help._

"_I can't believe he's really gone," Tir whispered after a long time spent trying to calm himself. "Ted...he..." He hugged his knees tightly to his chest, wiping his eyes on the back of his left hand. "I loved him, Luc," he finally admitted, breaking out into a fresh wave of tears._

_Without thinking, Luc gingerly wrapped his arms around Tir, stroking the bandanna that covered his head. "You can cry on me, Tir," he said softly, the words escaping him before he could stop them. "I might not be him, but I can be here for you."_

_He held him like that for a long time, Tir eventually shifting to hug Luc tightly. Only when the exhausted leader had fallen asleep did Luc move, summoning the power of his True Wind Rune to take them to Tir's room so he could put him to bed._

---

Luc smiled slightly at the memory, raising his rune hand into the air and summoning the power like he had on that night. With very little ceremony, he disappeared from Gregminster city, teleporting himself to the place where he knew he'd find Tir.


	3. Chapter 2

The True Wind Rune brought him just outside that small clearing at the end of the path. It was a dead end. _'Literally,' _he thought sardonically. The journeyman crystal marking that path was shining with its soft blue light, blending into the surroundings. The last time Luc had been to this place had been with Tir, and this time was no exception.

It was easy to spot him, the only splash of color in the entire eerily blue place being the green and purple of his bandanna. Luc was surprised to see that he no longer wore the red tunic and yellow pants that he was so familiar with, but a similar outfit that was charcoal and light gray. Luc stood still for a moment, watching Tir brush the fingers of his right hand over the etchings in the gravestone in front of him.

"...I love you, Ted," Luc heard him whisper. "I'll always love you. But every day it feels like the Rune claims a little more of me. Is that how it was for you...?"

The wind mage's fists clenched tightly in sudden anger. Why did they have to suffer like this? The helplessness in Tir's voice triggered a protective streak Luc hadn't felt in a long time. He wanted to save him from it, to give him a way out. That was what he was going to do; he was going to set Tir free from the rune's curse. Harmonia was only providing a means to an end that he supported wholeheartedly.

He walked up behind the kneeling man, stopping suddenly as the metal-shod end of Tir's staff appeared mere millimeters from his neck. Of course. He'd forgotten one of his own major mental notes; never sneak up on Tir McDohl.

"What do you want." It was a hollow-sounding question. Tir didn't even turn to look at Luc; his aim was perfect even without seeing him. "If you have no business in this place, leave."

"I do have business here, Tir," Luc replied quietly, gently pushing the staff's end away from himself. To his mild surprise, Tir allowed him to do so, the staff easing back to the ground at its wielder's side.

"Can I speak with you later, Luc?" Tir still never moved his eyes from the gravestone, his gloveless right hand resting lightly atop it. "Now is not a good time."

Luc felt a deep, smoldering hatred when he saw the unholy glow of the Souleater Rune on the back of Tir's hand. The Rune was tearing Tir apart from the inside out, eroding the strong will and self-confidence that the former Liberation Army leader had always shown. It was transforming him into a closed-off and silent person that Luc barely recognized.

"No, Tir." The wind mage knelt beside him, a silent offering of grudging respect to the spirit of the man who had captured Tir's heart so completely. "Now is the perfect time."

"The perfect time?" Tir repeated, finally shifting his gaze from the stone and giving Luc a disbelieving look. "Luc, this is the _worst _time. Yesterday. Tomorrow. Any day but today."

"Ah, right. Today is Tir's day to wallow in depression." Luc's eyes narrowed slightly at Tir. "How could I forget that?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Luc," Tir said softly, looking away. This only annoyed Luc further; the Tir he knew would have had some sort of comeback, would have gotten at least a little bit irked at him for saying such things. It just made him see, once again, the extent of the damage Souleater had inflicted.

"Oh, don't I? You think I know nothing?" Fire danced deep in his emerald eyes, taking on a turquoise cast from the blue valley. "I know what it's like to be dead, Tir. You're worse than dead." Luc pushed himself up, looking down at the kneeling figure in front of him. "Look at you. The Tir I knew wouldn't just sit there and take this. You're nothing but an empty shell that's pretending to be alive. What would i he /i think of you?"

That caught Tir's attention, as he knew it would. He looked up at Luc with lifeless brown eyes, silently waiting for him to continue.

"He died so that you would live, Tir. All of them did. And what are you doing? Drowning in misery because you aren't strong enough to keep going." Luc shook his head, only respect for the dead keeping him from spitting on the rocky ground. "You're hopeless."

"Is that what you think...?" The dark-haired man rose to his feet slowly, pulling his glove back on and rubbing his right hand with his left. "You, who have never heard Souleater's cries for blood...dare to judge me for how I choose to live with my curse?"

"You think I don't understand what it is to live a cursed life? Don't be stupid, McDohl." Narrowing his eyes, Luc caught every move Tir made, distracting him by talking as he observed the very way the ageless man carried himself. "That's why I tried to rid myself of it. It's also why I'm here to see you."

Tir looked at him suspiciously, shifting a little so that his hand rested on his staff defensively. "What do you want, Luc?"

"Put that away, McDohl." Luc took a step toward him, feet crunching a little on the sandy rock. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Answer my question." The Souleater's chosen was more defensive than Luc remembered him, and that hurt more than he wanted to admit. The rune was dangerous.

"I want to help you." Luc held out his left hand, palm up.

"Help...how could you help me...?" A bit of Tir's mask slipped, allowing Luc to see some of his turbulent emotions in his usually so expressive eyes. "You can't even help yourself." The bitterness in his voice struck a very familiar chord in the shorter man.

"I can help you. Just trust me."

Hesitantly, Tir reached out his left hand and took Luc's. "...Alright."

The world rippled, and the two eternal youths disappeared from the blue-tinted nightmare of Seek Valley.


End file.
